Jake Cave had four hits and three RBIs, falling just a triple short of hitting for the cycle, as the Colorado Rockies defeated the New York Yankees 9-2 on Saturday.
Aaron Judge, who leads MLB with 49 home runs, went 0 for 2 with a walk and saw his streak of hitting a home run in consecutive games end at four. Judge grounded into a force out in the first inning flew out in the third, walked in the fifth, and was hit by a pitch in the eighth, missing his chance to hit his 50th homer for the third time in his career.
Cave doubled in the second inning and added an RBI single during a four-run third inning where the Rockies took advantage of two balks by rookie starter Will Warren (0-2) and a catcher’s interference by Austin Wells.
Cave then hit a home run in the seventh to extend the Rockies’ lead to 9-2. This was the first time Cave had four hits in a game. He was traded by the Yankees to the Minnesota Twins in March 2018 for Luis Gil.
“It’s really cool,” Cave said. “With a bit of history there, since I used to be a Yankee, it’s special to come into one of these big venues and have a game like this. If you want to play in the playoffs, you have to perform in these types of places.”
Cave, who hadn’t played since the previous Saturday, missed the chance for a fifth hit and a cycle when he struck out in the ninth inning.
“He’s been a big part of our wins, whether it’s with home runs or defense,” said Colorado manager Bud Black.
Nolan Jones also drove in three runs, helping the Rockies end a six-game road losing streak and avoid their 50th road loss. In his fourth game back from a lower back strain, Jones hit a two-run double to finish the third inning.
